Lunch Like A Local: Bobby & Jack's Memphis Barbecue In Tewksbury

TEWKSBURY, MA -- Southerners like to debate barbecue: Texas or Memphis? Sauced or rubbed? Vinegar-based or tomato-based sauce? But we're northerners, and for us, there are really only two types of 'cue: "barbecue we like" and "barbecue we don't like."

Bobby & Jack's Memphis Barbecue in Tewksbury is definitely in the "barbecue we like" category.

The restaurant opened November 18 in a space at 1777 Main Street that was previously occupied by Mehfil Indian Cuisine. And while there are the typical service-related issues that any new restaurant faces as it figures out its rhythm, the first bite of the baby back ribs, brisket and pulled pork had us forgiving any miscue by our servers (who, for the record, were all friendly and hardworking, and wearing cool t-shirts with phrases like "I like pig butts and I cannot lie" and "I'd smoke that" printed across the back).

And while we may be northerners, we know a BBQ joint is only as good as its sides. The standard slice of cornbread that came with our meat-and-two was reminiscent of the cornbread served at the dearly departed East Coast Grill in Cambridge. The baked beans, potato salad, mac-n-cheese and creamed corn were all worthy of their space on the metal trays our food was served on.

But the meats were the stars. The brisket and ribs were among the best we've tried this side of Syracuse, NY, and easily the best we've tried in greater Boston. Greater Boston has been a bit of a BBQ desert for far too long, with a few well-known players dominating the market with lower-quality meats and sauces that hide their lack of flavor in layers of sugar.

We're not saying there was only bad barbecue in Boston; we're just saying there wasn't any really good barbecue in the Boston area when we compared it what we've had in other parts of the country. We won't mention those established players by name, but we will put them on notice: Bobby & Jack's is finally here and introducing us northerners to barbecue the way it was meant to be.

Bobby & Jacks opens at 4 pm daily. See their Website for more details.

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Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).